Autism is a "developmental" disorder defined by "social and communication" impairments. Current theoretical approaches and research studies however conceptualise autism as both static and independent from the social context in which it develops. Two lines of research stand out from this general trend. First, research from the…

To evaluate evidence for motor impairment specificity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children completed performance-based assessment of motor functioning (Movement Assessment Battery for Children: MABC-2). Logistic regression models were used to predict group membership. In the models…

The video model method is an application with evidence basis, defined as watching and taking as a model the target behavior exhibited by the person on the videotape. The video model method is a teaching method that can be used in teaching many different skills to children displaying normal development and to children with developmental…

Behavioral momentum theory provides a quantitative account of how reinforcers experienced within a discriminative stimulus context govern the persistence of behavior that occurs in that context. The theory suggests that all reinforcers obtained in the presence of a discriminative stimulus increase resistance to change, regardless of whether those…

The objective of this study was to investigate a system of training designed by a Local Education Authority support service to promote interactive skill building with children on the autism spectrum. Using a case study approach, the study focused thematically upon outcomes for children, perceptions of schools regarding impact of the training…

Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulties with verbal language. Many interventions to remediate such deficits require numerous materials and significant teacher time. This study sought to determine if a simple multi-component intervention that incorporated noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) and verbal modeling would result in…

This study is a replication of Sundberg and Sundberg (1990) that compared topography-based verbal behavior with selection-based verbal behavior in terms of acquisition, accuracy, and testing for the emergence of a new verbal relation. Participants were three typical children and three developmentally disabled persons with autism. The study sought…

Autism has been associated with atypical face and configural processing, as indicated by the lack of a face inversion effect (better recognition of upright than inverted faces). We investigated whether such atypical processing was restricted to the face or extended to social information found in body postures. An inversion paradigm compared…

A model in which autistic and other developmentally disabled persons are provided individualized treatment within a home-like residence has been shown to provide successful transitions from institutions to community settings. (CL)

Reviews evidence on biological etiology of autism and other pervasive developmental deviations, stressing necessity for providing early and accurate diagnosis for family. Discusses implications of downplaying individual pathology and concentrating on parental or family dysfunction. Presents components of psychoeducational model for diagnosis and…

Explores the dissociation between the performance by children with autism on false belief tasks, on which they do poorly, and false photograph, false map, and false drawing tasks, on which they do well. Suggesting domain specificity in the development of representational system, the results supported the modularity of theory of mind and the…

Background: This project examined the intermodal perception of temporal synchrony in 16 young children (ages 4 to 6 years) with autism compared to a group of children without impairments matched on adaptive age, and a group of children with other developmental disabilities matched on chronological and adaptive age. Method: A preferential looking…

Reviews Baron-Cohen's study of autism and an explanatory theory called modularity of mindreading, which proposed a domain-specific modular psychological model based on evolutionary, developmental, psychopathological, and neurobiological considerations. Enumerates problems with the modularity approach and emphasized the evolution of domain general…

Training of early special education teams (serving 11 autistic and 10 developmentally-delayed children) to use the Playschool model resulted in: positive perception of the training's value; increases in knowledge about child development, infantile autism, and the model; increased use of Playschool techniques; and positive developmental changes in…

This study, which applied an instructional model based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development, pragmatics theory of language development, and Mahler's theory of development of interpersonal relationships, found that 49 preschool children with autism did not make less progress than a comparison group of 27 children with other…